Where Angels Fear To Tread
by rgm0005
Summary: It's said fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Takato wonders if he proves or disproves that theory. Tamers Fantasy AU.


This story is my take at turning Digimon into a fantasy setting. It draws from various sources; Magic the Gathering, Exalted, the Nasuverse, Toaru Majutsu no Index, and there's even a bit of Nobilis in here.

**Where Angels Fear To Tread**

They were coming. He couldn't see them or hear them or sense them in any way that a normal human could, but-

They were there.

They were coming for him, then, which could only mean one thing.

It was time.

But was he ready?

He'd have to be, because it was now or never.

The boy strained against his bonds, testing their strength as he had done two hundred sixty-one thousand nine hundred and eighteen times before.

This was one on the few ways he could 'observe' his restraints.

They had put him here a long time ago, though he wasn't sure how long, having no way to tell. He hoped it had been two hundred seventy-nine days; that's what it should be if everything was happening as he'd hoped it would. He had not intended or desired to be imprisoned, but it could be helped.

But if they were here, that could only mean they either needed him or wanted to kill him.

If it was the former, his work had held up and they had no choice but to try to force the secrets out of him one more time before it was too late.

If it was the latter, they'd managed without him and now they wanted him dead.

Either was fine, as long as they were here. As long as no more than two hundred seventy-nine days had passed.

He opened his clenched fist to flex his fingers before closing it again.

It was New Year's Eve.

He already knew how he was going to celebrate.

**XxXXxX**

"Is this him?" The first man asked. "The Fallen Angel? Hmph. He doesn't look like much."

There were six layers of protective wards, three physical walls, and over a hundred seals around the Prisoner; the man had no fear of the boy trapped behind them. Furthermore, they'd bound him hand and foot in the strongest of chains; nobody could break Gleipnir, the sacred chain that locked away the Wolf at the End of Time. What was there to fear?

But apparently, even that wasn't enough for the Higher-ups. They'd covered his face, an act he didn't see any point in since they'd also plunged the room he was in into supernatural darkness. He couldn't see it, but it was said that they'd put a muzzle on him under that hood, too.

How would he have felt to know that the Prisoner within was aware he was there?

And that he knew what he was saying? What he was _thinking_?

"He's not anymore." The second man, the oldest of the pair. "What's an angel after you clip his wings?"

"Ara, but…he wasn't even a real angel to begin with, was he?" The first man said, laughing.

The second man chuckled.

"Even so, be careful. This is a delicate operation; we need to know how to wake _her_ up before midnight tonight. Remember that, 079."

The first man's face became serious in an instant; he was well aware of the consequences of failure.

In unison, the men went to their respective positions, two places along the wall that were unmarked in any way. The placed their hands on the wall and spoke in turn.

"Lynx079." Introduced the first man.

"Goblin033." Said the second.

In an instant, the wards shifted to grant them access, the doors into the prison appeared, the darkness gave way to light, and the seals glowed.

They could enter.

But that was the only thing that changed. To the prisoner within, the supernaturally darkness still lingered, there were no entries or exist to the prison, and the wards and seals still kept him trapped.

Anyone with clearance could enter the prison to speak with the prisoner.

But only Hypnos001 had the authority to release him.

They entered the prison and looked at the Prisoner.

Archangel144. That had been his name, once. But now he was nothing but a bird in a cage.

Goblin walked over the seals without fear; mere steps couldn't affect them. Very little could. This room was like the Sealer's Bible; everything from ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics to English runes to Japanese calligraphy could be found in this room, and every character was soaked in magical energy.

He stepped behind Archangel and untied the hood that covered his head. He tore it off and caste it aside.

One way or another, it wouldn't be going back on him.

He stopped for a minute to look at the prisoner. He'd never seen him before, at least not without the hood.

He had long brown hair, a result of not cutting it in most of a year, no doubt. It fell to his shoulders in messy tangles; a side effect of the hood. He had red eyes that stared sightlessly into what was fathomless darkness to him.

He did indeed have a gag. Goblin heard it was a punishment for literally biting off the hand of one of his feeders, though he doubted that; he shouldn't be able to use any magic within the confines of this sealing array.

Nonetheless, it was with some caution that he stepped behind him and undid the gag. Fenrir, he noted with amazement. Or at least a good copy of it. The sword placed in the Wolf's mouth, given a new form in an imitation.

He noted and winced at the barbs on it. Ouch.

"Archangel144." Lynx spoke. "This is your last chance to comply with our request. How do we wake up the girl?"

Archangel's eyes didn't move, but a smile grew across his face.

"Lynx079." He identified, ignoring the question. "Specialty: Fire-based spells. Rank: approximately 3."

Lynx stiffened noticeably and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped at Goblin's raised hand.

"You came before him, remember. He simply remembers your voice. You haven't raised you level since his capture, either; everything he said was as accurate at the beginning of the year as it is now. Tell me, boy, do you know who I am?"

"Goblin033. You specialized in self-enhancement techniques before I was put away, but you were only Level 2. Based on your tone, I take it that has changed; I'm guessing you're now level 3."

"Oho? He is good." Lynx said.

"As interesting as this is, it's also irrelevant. How do we wake up the girl, Archangel?"

The Prisoner was quiet for a minute before speaking.

"It's your lucky day, boys. I'll tell you on one condition. I want you to answer a question for me."

The partner's exchanged looks. That was almost certainly bullshit, but…

They couldn't pass this up on the off chance he wasn't lying.

"What's your question?" Lynx asked.

"Today is New Year's Eve, right?"

Goblin blinked, surprised at that question. He'd expected something more important.

"Indeed."

Archangel nodded.

"Ah. So I was right. It's been two hundred seventy-nine days. Well, I suppose it's my turn to pay up now."

Goblin and Lynx leaned forward, failing to hide their eagerness.

"She'll wake up on her own ten seconds after the end of the ritual's window." He said.

They both reeled back as though they'd been slapped and Archangel smiled as if he could see them.

"Don't screw around!" Lynx said, lunging forward and grabbing him by the throat. "I don't think you understand, kid; if you don't tell us, we have no reason to keep you alive."

Archangel's smile widened.

"Actually, I don't think _you_ understand." He said, amused. "You're both Level 3's. Take a look around you."

The pair looked around, obeying more out of confusion than anything else.

"You see these seals? Imagine what type of man would require all that." Archangel said. "You're nothing to me."

Lynx punched him across the face.

"Bastard!" He swore. "You think you're so damn great, huh? Then what are you doing looked in a box, motherfucker!"

"Lynx, calm down." Goblin ordered.

"Waiting." Archangel said.

They both stopped and slowly turned their heads towards him.

"H-huh? What did you just say?" Lynx asked.

Archangel's smile was quickly becoming smug.

"I said I was waiting. And I'm glad you came here, gentlemen. The question I asked you may have seemed like nothing to you, but…I meant everything to me. Because, you see…it means the wait is over."

He began to glow with a pure red light.

Lynx reacted first, and tried to snap his neck.

But he couldn't. It was like trying to break a mountain; he tried and he failed. The skin beneath his fingers was like metal.

"I asked you to look around you gentlemen. To imagine, just for a moment, what manner of being was so frightening that he required all these seals. And now I ask you another question…"

Red quickly began to war with white as it tried to share a place in his light. But red quickly began to win, pushing white closer and closer to the edge of the aura. And when that edge was reached…red continued to push. It pushed white out of the aura entirely.

And white shaped itself into a pair of wings and a halo.

"What type of creature could get through these seals anyway?" He asked.

And suddenly red collapsed on itself, imploding into Archangel's body.

There was a moment of peace, in which both Goblin and Lynx were struck by a horrible realization. Goblin grabbed Lynx and pulled him into a run, rushing outside of the Prison. He shouted a word, and as he passed through each door, it faded away as if it were never there.

Archangel tutted.

"No, don't get up; I'll let myself out."

**XxXXxX**

The ensuing explosion behaved abnormally because of the seals and wards, but Archangel had spent most of a year carefully analyzing them for weak point and vulnerabilities, the result of which was this spell.

Well, actually, it was a series of spells being cast at the same time, but that wasn't the point.

The first series of wards was specifically designed to prevent him from moving, but it had no effect on magic. That was the purpose of the second, after all; the first was just to keep him from physically reaching the second. The third was built to activate if the first two fell; it basically just filled the area within with fire and lightning and various other deadly forces. The fourth was always active and its purpose was simple; it made it harder for him to cast spells, just in case. It projected things into his mind; random stuff like numbers, strange phrases, paragraphs of old books, animal noises, and other distracting things. It was surprisingly effective, actually; it made casting spells a lot like counting hyperactive children while someone shouted numbers in your ears. The fifth was the source of the supernatural darkness, striping from him the sense of sight that he'd relied on for most of his life, not only blinding him but electing a primal fear of the dark. And the sixth simply kept anything from summoning him in or out of the cage or using another form of supernatural transportation.

Archangel dealt with all of them at the same time.

As the first stage of the explosion, he emitted a pulse of varying magical frequency. By the time it reached the first ward, its aspect was Metal and it resonated with the ward due to its frequency, and the ward shattered as a result.

Archangel didn't pay any attention to it, concentrating on the pulse as it continued. He needed to get rid of the second ward in order to deal with the third and he had to deal with the third before it, well, killed him.

He focused, changing the aspect from Metal to Wood, changing its behavior as a result. Whereas Metal pierced and cut, Wood would sink into the next ward instead. He also changed the frequency to cause resonance with this ward as well. As it touched the ward, he worried that he'd made the frequency to low.

But then he felt him power sinking into and parting the ward by sinking its roots into it. In moments, the ward was full of holes, collapsing a moment later.

Archangel would have smirked if he could. He was almost done with the important part; wards two and three. The first ward kept him from moving, but the chains that bound him did that anyway; it was insurance, nothing more.

The second ward was different. It kept him from drawing upon the ambient magic outside the ward. The energy present in all things that could be drawn upon by those who could use magic. The second ward had left him with only two sources of power; the dregs left within the area of the ward, too small to accomplish anything, and the power within his own body, which was also bound. It should have been impossible for him to use magic within the confines of this area.

At least…without another source.

Normally, using the energy around oneself is done by absorbing magic into your body, immediately converting it into a form that is usable, and expelling it before the foreign source of energy could adversely affect your body.

But he hadn't done that.

Instead, right before he'd been captured…he'd taken a deep breath. He'd taken in all the magic he could hold at one time; filling the tank, so to speak. And instead of expelling it…he'd held it.

For two hundred seventy-nine days, he'd held his breath, magically speaking. And he'd cycled it to keep it from stagnating and he'd changed it from one form to another and back again to keep it from slipping away. Like animals taking in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, he'd held the magic until it had changed into a raw without aspect or color. And then, like a plant, he'd taken that 'carbon dioxide' and turned it back into 'oxygen.' He gave color back to the colorless; he shaped it into each of the Elements in turn.

But he'd never released it, because he knew that if he did, he'd never get it back.

Until now.

With that one breath that had been the only thing he'd had for two hundred seventy-nine days, he brought down the second ward.

And then the magic, no longer kept at bay, came flooding in.

Archangel took his first 'breath' in most of a year just as the third ward activated.

And he was bathed in fire, but was not burnt. And lightning clawed at him, but always missed without him moving. Blades of energy fell upon him, only to impale the ground in a neat circle around his form. Shadows grasped at him and light cast them away. The ground began to buckle and-

The third ward broke with a sound like breaking glass, the now Earth aspected pulse shattering it like a stone would.

This time, the prisoner did smirk. He'd won. The other three wards were just a formality; he could ignore them completely if he wanted. He'd learnt to block out all distractions in his time here, he didn't need his eyes to see, and he fully intended to walk out the front door.

But he crushed them anyway, just to prove he could.

0.04 seconds after the first pulse was emitted, the sixth ward fell.

He hissed as he saw light for the first time in most of a year, shutting them quickly. Even the dim lighting of the room that was his prison hurt.

But it was a good pain.

The endless blathering that haunted his days and nights was suddenly silenced and a feeling of being chained that he hadn't even known was there suddenly fell away.

He laughed in triumph; just a little more…!

A second pulse expanded from his form, then; this one with a different purpose. It expanded in a perfect circle, passing through walls and objects, instantly relaying that information to its master. It grew pass the walls of his prison; it grew pass the building entirely!

And then it stopped; a huge perfect circle.

A boundary marker.

In 0.1 seconds after the second pulse was emitted, he'd defined the range of his anger. He created a wall of pure will to keep the power within, to focus it as much as possible.

And then he let go with a single word.

"Damnation." He said, uttering the spells name.

And everything in range stopped existing except a boy who was no longer a prisoner.

**XxXXxX**

Goblin and Lynx barely made it out of range in time. Well, it's more like they were spared, but they had no way of knowing that.

They were both on the ground, having literally lunged for safety. They'd both broken down several walls just to get out in time. And now they looked at what had been Sheol Prison.

Now, it was just a crater; a perfect hemisphere that looked like someone had carefully cut it out of the world. It was an amazing feat; annihilating even such a small area without leaving even a trace behind.

But the impressiveness of the spell they'd only just escaped was not what they were focused on.

They knew what this meant.

"My, my…Gleipnir is as impressive as legend tells." Archangel said, levitating towards the edge of the crater, solid land, and, most importantly, them.

Lynx and Goblin quickly lifted themselves to their feet.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

"Lynx, stay calm." Goblin said, taking control even though it was obvious he was a scared as his partner. "That spell must have taken a huge amount of power. He had to take down the wards and seals and then destroy the entire area. Even if he's a superior opponent, the two of us are both fresh while he's used a great deal of power."

Archangel reached solid ground, allowing the partners to take a good look at them. He was basically unchanged. He still wore his prison garb; a tight, formfitting white outfight. It was tight enough that it must have been uncomfortable, but that was just a bonus; its main purpose was to make it obvious if he was hiding something underneath it. He'd been searched heavily prior to his imprisonment, but…

There was one change to it, though. The seals and ruins that had glowed upon it before were gone, leaving it a normal piece of cloth.

Other than that, he had only one other thing. The chains of Gleipnir were still wrapped around him tightly, though without anything to bind him too, they did little good.

"My Damnation erased all the seals, but…it seems even it couldn't break this chain. Hm…I must admit; I'm very impressed. The Wolf this was made for must have been something else, huh?" Archangel said looking at them with calm eyes. "But…no matter how strong the Chain; without anything to chain me to, it's worthless."

His deft hands slowly unwrapped the chain from his body, dropping loop after loop onto the ground.

"I am not without mercy; I'll give you until I'm finished to prepare yourselves." He said, looking at the chain and ignoring them entirely.

Goblin and Lynx shared a glance, coming to a mutual agreement.

"Bakemono!" Lynx cried, summoning his familiar.

Flames gathered in his hands, hand he immediately cast it to the earth. It spread with unnatural quickness, washing over the area like spilt water. Lynx consciously avoided his partner, sparing him from the flames.

Archangel, for his part, simply stood in the flames and ignored them. He continued to untie himself as if nothing was happening.

That didn't mean he wasn't paying attention, though.

The flames began to writhe, forming a skeleton of pure white flames. It was feline, based on the dentistry, skull structure, and tail; the fact that it was a vertebrate and bipedal helped narrow it down, but a lot of things fit both of those criteria.

Moments later, a musculature of red flames began to grow over the skeleton, settling only once it was completely covered. Finally, a hide of orange flame grew over it.

Archangel's hands paused for a moment as he looked at the feline curiously. If, as he suspected, Lynx079 drew his name from his familiar, then it was probably also a lynx. Cat biology wasn't his specialty, so he couldn't say what that meant, if anything.

Magic, however…

"Your familiar is a Bakeneko, a monster cat. It's an animal spirit that belongs to the Category of 'Monstrous Beasts.' Its aspect is Fire and its color is Red, much like yours. However, a Bakeneko shouldn't be able to manifest powers of this scale unless it was a member of the 'Mythic Beasts,' which yours is not. Therefore, it is able to manifest in this form because of you, Lynx. I'm impressed, I must admit; I didn't think you'd be able to do something like this. Hm…you've combined two of the Asian Systems with the European System? From a glance, I'd say you're using the Chinese Elements in conjunction with the classical Japanese Shikigami, but using the European style of Elemental Manifestation. That's pretty complicated." Archangel said, quietly clapping. "However…complicated doesn't necessarily equal effective. Shall we put it to the test?"

Lynx was unnerved by how his entire spell was instantly dissected, but he had no intention of starting something if their opponent was literally giving them time to prepare.

Archangel noticed that and simply smiled. He looked back to his chains and continued to remove them as the pair went back to preparing.

"Goblin." 033 spoke.

His display was less visually impressive; he summoned a clear substance, ectoplasm, and animated it with magic. It quickly formed itself into a small green creature with faded brown clothing and a large but simple club. It was the traditional British familiar summoning.

Boring, yet practical, Archangel noted, a technique honed to perfection over about five hundred years.

The pair watched him with cautions eyes as he undid the last of the chain. They hadn't attacked yet only because they were still preparing; it was just less visible. They were probably aware that while Gleipnir was a powerful chain, it didn't restrain anything in its current situation; Archangel was simply removing an annoyance.

He dropped the chain to the ground and stretched, free in every way.

"That's better." He said, satisfied. "You guys ready?"

That was apparently the signal, as both of the familiars immediately rushed him. The two magicians stayed back, but they were hurling spells; fireballs of various shapes and sizes flew towards him before he finished talking.

He smirked.

"It's my turn, then. Guile!"

They didn't even have a chance to react. One moment the air was filled with spells and their familiars were charging the escaped prisoner and the next…

The spells impacted harmlessly upon the scales of that great beast. In his jaws hung the limp remains of the Goblin, impaled on teeth like spears. Crushed beneath a red, clawed hand, the sparks that were all that remained of the Nekomata quickly died.

They hadn't even seen him move. No, they hadn't even seen him form!

And now it towered over them. They'd heard rumors, of course; everyone had. But there was no proof, only scattered reports and hearsay.

They'd never thought it was actually true.

He had a Dragon for a familiar. A Dragon; the greatest of all Magical Beasts. Among the Four Categories, they belonged to the Divine Class. A creature that could generate magic simply by drawing breath.

And the monster that held its reigns.

'Dragon Tamer.'

But…how? Even if he could tame a Dragon, it didn't make sense.

Divine Beast or not, a Phantasm is a 'Fantasy.' A creature that is impossible under the laws of this world. Their existence is nothing more than a body of magic. Given reason by concept and purpose, they still didn't exist in the physical world. They could not be seen or touched under normal circumstances. In order to give them form, a body must be created for them.

And it couldn't simply be any body. It needed two things; familiarity and a bond to hold it to this world. A contract between a Familiar and a Magician can account for the latter, but a Dragon cannot be a kitten and a kitten cannot be a Dragon.

But beyond those two basically rules, there is an even more basic rule. In order for a Phantasm to inhabit a body, a body must be there to inhabit. That body had to be built at some point, whether with ectoplasm or matter; it didn't just come from nowhere.

"The Dragon's Gate." Archangel said. "You've heard of it, right? A form of summoning that bypasses the construction phase entirely…quite a useful technique, no?"

Goblin narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe, but there's a reason it's not used. It makes summoning easier, but in return, the summoner forfeits all control over the summon. At that point, whether it kills the summoner or not is entirely up to it; you have no say in the matter."

Lynx looked at his partner in alarm while Archangel merely smiled wider, laying a hand on his partner's scales. The Dragon made a sound between a purr and a hiss.

"Bind him? Now why would I do that?" He wondered. "I have never bound Guile to my will. Ours is a partnership, you see."

Archangel tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck.

"But really…is that all you've got?" He asked. "Guile and I have been away from each other for a long time; we have some catching up to do. So if you wanna run, I don't mind."

Goblin and Lynx looked at each other and came to a silent agreement.

If they stayed, they'd probably die. But…

If they ran, they definitely would. And even if they were burnt alive in Dragon Fire, it would still be preferable to the fate that awaited them for a failure of this magnitude.

Archangel closed his eyes and his smile changed slightly. It was almost…compassionate.

"I thought not."

"Fuuki Ogre!" The partners cried in unison, summoning their familiars once more.

Archangel didn't need to look to see what they were doing; his magical senses were more than enough.

They were creating a new summon. Goblin was summoning more ectoplasm, shaping flesh, blood, and bone from it. This time it was bigger, though; much larger the goblin he'd created last time. This one would probably tower over any normal person, Archangel guessed.

Lynx was binding the two familiars into it. He was also doing something to his Nekomata.

Elemental Transmutation?

Yes, he was changing the aspect of his familiar to Wind. They'd probably realized to futility of using fire on a Dragon. But wind…was an interesting choice. Archangel would have expected water, which would have failed miserably because Fire Mages have had something like five thousand years to work past that particular weakness and he in particular had a number of ways to make anyone who tried regret it. He was a Water Mage as well, after all.

Still, it was a common choice to attempt to use it anyway…

Well, Lynx was also a fire user; he probably knew the tricks of the trade. But why did he choose wind?

Did they have a plan or…was that their only choice?

Only one way to find out.

He opened his eyes and gazed calmly at the sight before him. A red skinned, silver haired Ogre with teeth that were like tusks roared at his attention. He hefted a large bone that he wielded as a club and Archangel noted that it was spiked with pieces of metal. He swung it even though he was a distance away and a miniature hurricane roared into existence.

"For someone that was transmuted from another Element, his skill with this one is pretty impressive." The Escaped Prisoner noted, letting himself be blown off his feet, though not before grabbing Gliepnir.

He made a small effort of will and spoke.

"Dragon Wings." He said as a smaller version of his partners appendages formed behind him. It was an exact replica, which was fitting since it was created with the same spell.

Archangel loved his partner, but sometimes it was troublesome having a Dragon as a familiar. Summoning was the biggest one; certain parts of a Dragon's Phantasmal Body, the form in which they existed wherever they came from, were nearly separate beings when it came to summoning purposes. A Dragon's Wings, Teeth, Scales, Claws, Shadow, Breath, and Blood were like metaphysical weapons and organs at the same time. You could summon a Dragon's Form without them, of course, for like weapons they could be 'removed,' though that wasn't a good word for it. Even if Archangel summoned just Guile, he would still have wings, teeth, scales, claws, and blood as those were parts of his body. In addition, he'd be able to breathe fire by virtue of being a Dragon and he'd have a shadow due to the interactions between matter and light.

However, they would not by a Dragon's Wings, Teeth, Scales, Claws, Shadow, Breath, or Blood; those things were basically metaphysical concepts and phenomena. Myth and legend and fantasy given a form that wasn't physical but still existed. Just as sometimes incredible or legendary events can gather metaphysical power and become something else, such as with his artifact sword Gram, so too did they gather within Dragons.

And on one hand, when you not only summoned a Dragon but also put all the 'pieces' together, you got something much more impressive then a giant, flying lizard.

But on the other, doing all that summoning took forever, since they needed to be summoned separately. Archangel had been forced to rely on the Dragon's Gate to summon Guile in a reasonable timeframe, which had been fairly troublesome as it was a forbidden spell held under lock and key.

Wings of this size shouldn't have allowed him to fly; his body was much too large and heavy for that.

But they would, Archangel knew.

And so it was that with a single flap of his new wings, he tore through the sudden gust and found himself above it all.

He looked down upon the action below to find that nothing had really changed.

Guile had weathered the wind without showing any sign of noticing; Archangel had seen him fly through winds moving faster than the speed of sound in one particular incident involving a Cult in Britain and how it mysteriously got burnt to ashes.

But that wasn't the point of the attack and Archangel knew it.

As a result of the high powered winds, dust and small objects like rocks were down into the air, hindering visibility. It made sense from a tactical stand point; even if it was just a little, if the Ogre had a good sense of hearing, it could work.

Honestly, Guile relied on his nose as much as his eyes, so it could still work. Hm. That was problematic.

Well, he wasn't worried they would actually hurt the Dragon, but if it was him, he'd use this chance to make preparations.

Archangel contemplated that for a moment, closing his eyes. He came to a decision quickly and nodded to himself.

Caution was the best choice for now; he was so close, he couldn't screw up now.

"Keter – Zero Unit." He said, opening his eyes. His circular pupils were gone, replaced by a large upside-down triangle with three smaller triangles around it; one on each side of the larger triangle.

He silently observed the situation before closing his eyes again. They had returned to normal by the time he'd opened them.

There was nothing to worry about.

The Ogre leapt from the dust, runes glowing across his flesh. Enhancement spells, Archangel knew, that increased his speed by thirty percent, his strength by twenty percent, and his toughness by forty percent.

A good choice; more than anything, if they couldn't break through Guile's scales, or if they died before they could, then nothing else mattered.

But…

It should be expected, right? In a battle between two magician's familiars, when one magician enhances their familiar…

So will the other.

The Ogre had chosen his moment carefully, using Guile's massive size against him and attacking from a blind spot. He used the same wind technique that had created a miniature storm to hurl himself like a rocket. He lifted his club, swung with all his force, and-

Causality split along two separate paths.

In one path, Guile chose to forgo defense completely, instead trading a blow for a blow. He swung his head around just in time, mouth open to reduce his enemy to ashes in a burst of heat. But at the same time, the Ogre swung his club like a hammer directly at the Dragon's Eye.

But in another path, Guile chose to defend, dodging at a order of a warning only he could hear, causing the Ogre's club to pass through nothing but air.

And in an instant, the split paths merged together seamlessly. Oddly, the Universe seemed not to mind.

The Ogre on the other hand…

Well, it didn't really matter what the Ogre thought. He was ashes a moment later, after all.

Guile spread his wings and flapped them once and a gale that made the Ogre's attack seem like a gentle breeze blew away the dust cloud – and the two magicians' with it.

Archangel began to descend, coming to the ground by the pair. They were injured, but they seemed to have some minor defenses against wind attacks; a good idea, he felt. If you know you'll be throwing around large amount of some kind of attack, it's always a good idea to have some way to defend against it, if not make yourself outright immune.

"Ready to give up?" He asked.

They stumbled back a step as one, but the resolve in their eyes didn't falter.

Archangel sighed.

"It's not as though I dislike people who are persistent, but it seems like a waste in this case." He closed his eyes and gave it some thought.

After a moment, he nodded to himself and opened his eyes again.

He slides into a stance neither of them recognized.

Among magicians, seeing anything unfamiliar in a combat situation would put anyone on guard, and they immediately lifted their fists. Of course, neither of them was particularly skilled at Supernatural Martial Arts, so they put up shields as they did, but Archangel still didn't seem to be in a rush.

"Didn't you find it odd? I mean, how I was restrained?" He began. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with being cautious, but didn't you mind the nature of my restraints strange? There were a number of wards and seals to restrain my magic, but…there were, like, two hundred different spells binding my body. They even brought in Gleipnir, here. This is one of the most famous Artifacts in the world and one of the most powerful. Its effects may be limited, but for physically binding a target, nothing can compare to it? Why waste it on a child? After putting up a Magic Repelling Field, there shouldn't be any point; a reasonably powerful physical barrier should be enough, right? But instead they gave my all those seals and walls and restraints…Didn't you wonder why?"

Goblin had felt something grow within him during Archangel's speech; a desire to not know.

But even so, if it was important, he had to know. In this situation, it could mean life or death.

"Why?" He asked.

Archangel glanced behind him, looking at Guile. The Dragon had already sat down and was looking on in amusement.

He knew what was going on.

"The historic purpose of a Familiar is to protect the magician while he's casting spells. To put it more simply, the Knight protects the Wizard. It's natural, because the Knight is better at close-range combat then the Wizard. But it's not always like that; Familiars, I mean. Some just aren't very good at combat, or don't have the mindset for it, or are simply troublesome in such situations. In that case, the Magician generally protects the Familiar and the Familiar stays back and casts spells. It's the same thing, just with non-traditional roles." Archangel said. "And from that horrified look on your face, I think you're beginning to understand, aren't you Goblin?"

Lynx didn't get it, but everything seemed to snap into place in Goblin's mind.

"When I first found Guile, he was literally in the process of being born. And as a baby, he couldn't really protect himself, so I couldn't use him as a conventional familiar. But even newborn Dragon's have incredible magical power, so…we switched roles. I was always more of a support spell kind of guy, anyway. Now that Guile's a bit older and I've learnt how to change his physical appearance, we could switch roles. Actually, we often do, because the best way for him to learn is with experience. But…if it's a physical fight, I'm the more dangerous choice." He said confidently.

Lynx stared at him silently, glancing at Goblin to see if his partner believed this. He did, at which point Lynx began to get a bit worried.

But he still didn't back down. If it was a choice between Archangel and Hypnos, Archangel seemed like he would at least kill them quickly. That was all Lynx needed to know.

Archangel didn't even blink as he watched them.

"Even knowing that, you still wish to fight me?"

They nodded.

He sighed at that.

"I see."

The spells around Lynx broke in an instant as the blow pounded through them and caught him in the stomach. The smaller Archangel lifted him off his feet with that punch as well and kept him in the air even when he fell into unconsciousness.

Goblin frowned as he noticed something odd.

"He's alive."

Archangel nodded.

"I put him under the same spell you came to ask me about. He'll stay asleep for as long as I wish, which is until a bit after midnight."

"It would be more merciful just to kill him. When Hypnos-"

"That won't be an issue." Archangel said. "I'm going to crush Hypnos tonight. By the time you wake up, they'll be gone. Its New Years, you know; take advantage of it to make a resolution. I don't care what it is, but if you dislike Hypnos as much as I do…then leave it behind for the New Year, Goblin."

Archangel set Lynx gently on the ground and stood to face Goblin, but…the fight seemed to have gone out of him.

"My name isn't Goblin, you know." He said tiredly.

Archangel hesitated in his attack to respond.

"I know. They gave us these names when they took us. Do you remember yours?"

Goblin shook his head.

"I was too young. I think we were all too young. But I've always wondered what it was."

"…Then go find it. This year, go find yourself a name. And just so you know…"

Archangel disappeared and Goblin felt an impact to the back of his head. It wasn't hard, but…he felt sleep coming for him a moment later.

"My name is Matsuda Takato."

Matsuda…just like those two…

Goblin fell forward and Takato caught him. He set him beside his partner before standing.

"Come on, Guile. We have people to crush and a Sleeping Beauty to save."

**XxXXxX**


End file.
